Illinois officials say the state's first medical marijuana patients have purchased nearly $801,000 worth of cannabis during the program's first month.
Program director Joseph Wright announced the figures Wednesday. The numbers indicate Illinois has collected roughly $56,550 in taxes from wholesale sales of medical marijuana during the month. Marijuana wholesalers pay a 7 percent tax to the state.
Wright says licensed dispensaries have served 1,713 unique patients. That's nearly half the 3,600 patients who have been approved for the program.
Legal marijuana sales began Nov. 9 in Illinois. There are now 16 licensed dispensaries operating in Illinois.
The first month's dispensary sales figures indicate that the retail price per gram on average was roughly $14 to $15.
